Schitt Audio Bifrost DAC with asynchronous USB

Schitt Audio, maker of the popular Vahalla and Lyre tube headphone amps, is now taking pre-orders for its debut stand-alone DAC to be called the Bifrost, the company's first in a planned series of three.  The DAC has a very respectable set of specs and very likable price of $349.  Featuring a 32-bit D/A conversion, fully discrete analog section, sophisticated clock management system, asynchronous USB 2.0 option, as well as SPDIF coaxial and optical inputs, all with 24/192 capability.  The DAC comes with a 5-year warranty and a 15-day satisfaction guarantee return policy. The Bifrost begins shiipping end of August 2011.

Fully Upgradable
Bifrost's modular design uses separate, snap-in USB Input and DAC/Analog cards. When USB technology changes, you can simply drop in a new, better USB Input Card. When meaningful upgrades to D/A converters come out, you can snap in a new DAC/Analog Card.

AKM4399 D/A Converter and Discrete Analog Section
AKM4399 "Super DAC" 32 bit D/A converter is used and its analog section is a fully discrete, low noise JFET design—the only op-amp in the box is a DC servo.

Advanced Bitperfect Clock Management
Bifrost dispenses with the sample rate converter and uses a sophisticated master clock management system to deliver bit-perfect data to the DAC, preserving all the original music samples--whether it's 16/44.1 or 24/192.

Asynchronous USB 2.0, 24/192, 
Featuring a high-speed USB 2.0 interface and asynchronous data transfer to 24/192, based on the C-Media CM6631 USB receiver. No drivers are required for Macs, and Windows drivers will be downloadable from this site for Windows 7, Vista, and XP.  Please note that this is a $100 option.

Specifications

• Inputs: Coaxial SPDIF, Optical SPDIF, USB (optional)
• Input Capability: up to 24/192 for all inputs
• Input Receiver, SPDIF: Crystal Semiconductor CS8416
• Input Receiver, USB: C-Media CM6631
• D/A Conversion IC: AKM4399
• Analog Summing, Filtering: Fully Discrete, DC Coupled
• Output: Dual RCA (single-ended)
• Output Impedance: 75 ohms
• Frequency Response, Analog Summing Stage: 2Hz-100KHz, -1dB (actual frequency response limited by sample rate)
• Maximum Output: 2.2VRMS
• THD: Less than 0.001%, 20Hz-20KHz
• S/N: Greater than 108dB
• Power supply: 5 stages of regulation, including separate supplies for critical digital and analog sections.
• Upgradability: Separate, modular USB Input Card and DAC/Analog Card are snap-in replaceable.
• Power Consumption: 15W
• Size: 9 x 6.75 x 2.25”
• Weight: 5 lbs